Gang Member Wanted In July Slaying Of Cerritos Man

ARTESIA (CBSLA.com) — The public’s help was sought Tuesday in finding a man suspected in a fatal shooting in Artesia.

Timothy Teopaco, 19, was shot to death in a parking lot in 11600 block of South Street at about 1:20 a.m. on Saturday, July 27, sheriff’s spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said.

Authorities identified the alleged shooter as Boren Lay, 19, who was identified by witnesses as the gunman.

Officials say a group of men were inside a restaurant when another patron walked up to one of the men and started an argument. One of the group called his friends to help him, and when Teopaco arrived in the parking lot of the restaurant, he was shot, allegedly by Lay.

Teopaco, who was Filipino, lived in Cerritos with his mother and sister. He was a father to a 1-year-old boy and was working at a fish market to put himself through school to be a pharmacist, Nishida said.

Lay, a member of the Asian Boys gang, has been known to frequent the Long Beach area, Nishida said. He is identified as a Cambodian, 5-foot-9, 135 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

A murder warrant has been issued for Lay’s arrest. Anyone with information about his whereabouts can call the sheriff’s homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500.